Karen Bowerman enjoys a spa with a spectacular view and discovers the Tibetan yoga way to tackle her toxins

I’ve just had a vigorous body scrub, been smothered in mud, wrapped in “clingfilm” and cocooned in blankets.

My body’s tingling and the smell is divine: mint and eucalyptus with a hint of papaya and pineapple.

I’m having a Montecelli mud treatment as part of a personalised three-day detox programme at the Sun Gardens resort in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The programme is run by Adriana Barlafa Kruhonja, the manager of the hotel’s Occo Spa where pools, steam rooms and saunas overlook the sparkling Adriatic Sea.

If you ever need convincing that detoxing is a good idea, you should meet Adriana. She has a ridiculously flat stomach, clear skin and the confidence of someone who knows how to look after themselves.

But what I like most is the fact she admits she gets pimples too.

We sit down for my first consultation.

“There’s no point torturing yourself,” Adriana says.

“I’m not going to tell you to eat just two carrots a day. You won’t stick to it and you won’t be happy. Besides, no one wants to go home with a massive breakout.”

She offers me a drink. I consult the spa menu (it’s all smoothies). I’m desperate for a coffee; is this a test? “Coffee’s fine,” Adriana says. “I won’t give it up either. Just don’t have 100 cups a day.”

My detox is based on a treatment called Ionithermie.

It involves an enzyme body scrub, said to be 300 per cent more gentle than a typical apricot kernel scrub, an algae mask applied to the area you’re most concerned about (with me, it's my stomach) and electrodes, which provide a pulsing electric current.

The aim is to stimulate circulation, reduce cellulite and improve muscle tone.

As with all health and fitness programmes, diet and exercise also play a part.

I’m shown round the hotel’s massive sports centre where activities include squash, volley ball, wall climbing, aerobics and tennis.

“So?” the personal trainer asks. “What appeals?”

I’m tempted to say “lying on the beach in the sun” but I know that’s not what he means.

I choose Tibetan yoga. Since I'm cleansing my body, it seems fitting to cleanse my mind too. (It also doesn’t sound too strenuous).

How wrong could I have been? We work our way through five Tibetan rites or movements (largely stretches) said to help eliminate toxins. I’m completely out of breath by the end of it.

Although I’m in Dubrovnik to detox, I spend my final afternoon exploring the city.

I stroll round its medieval walls, visit a 14th century Franciscan monastery, home to an apothecary that’s said to be the oldest pharmacy in Europe, and admire the extraordinary reliquaries in the cathedral’s treasury.

Back at the resort, I celebrate the end of my detox with dinner! I order turbot and truffle-flavoured potatoes and a lovely local wine.

For a moment, I think of Adriana. But she did say I shouldn’t torture myself, didn’t she?
 

ESSENTIALS

* FaRadisson Blu Sun Gardens resort: radissonblu.com/resort-dubrovnik
Rooms from £93 per night, including breakfast. Guests can choose from three, five and seven-day detox programmes which include special detox meals, a choice of treatments, fitness activities and use of the spa. Prices from £280 for three days. 
* Tourist Board, Dubrovnik: tzdubrovnik.hr/english 
* Visit Croatia: croatia.hr

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